Microsoft MSN vs. Windows Live dance continues

The “brand war” between MSN and Windows Live is still to be settled, so suggests the man who leads them both for Microsoft, Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of the Online Services Group, responsible for marketing, sales and business development for both MSN.com and Windows Live.

The “brand war” between MSN and Windows Live is still to be settled, so suggests the man who leads them both for Microsoft, Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of the Online Services Group, responsible for marketing, sales and business development for both MSN.com and Windows Live.

Keynoting at SES today in NYC, Berkowitz acknowledged that more “clarity” is needed between the services.

“Can anybody clear up the difference between MSN and Live? Vijaygupta88 recently asked at an iWebtool forum.

Danny Sullivan asked Berkowitz same today. Berkowitz’s clarification, though, lacked the clarity he acknowledged is needed. Berkowitz did say both brands would be maintained, however.

Windows Live “brings the PC to the Web,” Berkowitz said, to the “cloud server in the sky.” It can be viewed as a platform extension of Windows onto the Internet, Berkowitz indicated, extending the Windows presence and value proposition.

The future is a networked, device agnostic one, Berkowitz underscored.

Nevertheless, MSN represents a powerful, familiar and popular asset that should be enhanced, not discarded, according to Berkowitz. Future planned enhancements include integration of more social content and a focus on signature, live events.

When will the clarity between MSN and Windows Live surface? It will come via product development, Berkowitz said.

Berkowitz sees his mission as “unlocking the potential” of the vast Microsoft technological and marketing talent and he aims to drive innovation “around the core.”

Berkowitz is confident in the game changing potential of Microsoft products brewing in the labs, but said the company has not been “nimble enough, bold enough or creative enough,” to date to bring all of its assets to the forefront.

Berkowitz admitted “we haven’t done a good enough job at making us cool,” yet.

Future “cool” Microsoft stuff?

Integration of rich media into search results, more engaging UI’s, emphasis on graphics, not just text…